Power-driven camera with motor signal



sept. 4, 19.28."l 1,683,314

R. L. STINCHFIELD POWER DRIVEN CAMERA WITH MOTOR SIGNAL Filed April 50, 1925 2 sheets-sheet i INVENoR. l@ LSZ-no 18265,.

' ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 4, 1928. v 1,683,314

R. L. STINCHFIELD POWER DRIVEN CAMERA WITH MOTOR- SIGNAL Filed April 30, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2l INVENIOR.'

zml/l A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

. RAY L. STINOHEIELD, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AssIGNOR' lTo EASTMAN KODAK comm, OE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,.A CORPORATION OE NEW YORK.

:POWER-DRIVER CAMERA WITH MOTOR sIeNAL.

Application led April 30, 1225. Serial 17o. 27,018.

AThis invention 'relates to photography, and more particularly to photographic cameras of the motor driven motion picture type. One object of my invention is to pro- .vide a signal adapted to indicate that the energy inthe motor is about to become exhausted. Another Object is to provide a signal visible in the finder for indicating that the motor should be re-energized, the

signal functioning in time to permit an operator to 'iinish a predetermined length of exposures. Another object is to provide a signal which is visible in the finder and yet which will not obscure the view being 1li` photographed; Another object is to provide a signal whichmayjbe adjusted to Operate after the desired portionv of the motors energy isexpended, and other objects will appear hereinafter from the following specilication, the novel Vfeatures bein pointed out in the claims at the end thereo Coming now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

i Fig.` 1 is a plan view of a typical motion picture camera provided with a signal illus trated and constructed in accordance with one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a part side elevation and part section of the camera shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the signaling mechanism removed from the camera;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic showing of a dial used in connection with the motor spring;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the signaling apparatus used in another embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 6 indicates the view which will appear in the finder after the signal has been Operated, and

Fi 7 is a plan view of the dial and signal mem er.

In Fig. 1, I have shown a motion picture camera which consists of a/ main casing 1 to which there is hinged a cover 2 for protecting the camera Objective tnot shown. The upper wall 3 of the camera is provided with a carrying handle 4, with a finder 5,

and with a window 6 through which a dial 7 is visible. In this embodiment of my invention, the finder is of the right angle vision type, in which there is an upper viewing type shown in application for Letters Patent filed, Aug. 22, 1924 Serial No. 733,653 by Edwin C. F ritts. yThemotion picture pulldown mechanism may be operated by means of a motor, in this case a spring motor 11. One end of the spring 12 is attached to a central hub 13 ixedly attached to the shaft 14. The other end of the spring 15 is preferably attached at 16 to the wall 17 of the casing which encloses a spring. This spring may be energized through gear 18, and pinion 19v carried b shaft 2O which terminates in a nut 2l. T e handle 22 is carried on a lever 23 which is apertured at 24 Vto receive the nut 20 when the handleis swung about its hinge 25. When-not in use, the handle 22 may lie in an aperture 26 in the .camera wall. Gears 27 and 28 operate the take-u mechanism, and gears 27,29 and 30 are or operating the pulldown mechanism. The motor is controlled by a releasing lever 31 carried by a shaft 32. Since these members do not form apart Of my invention, they will not be further described.

When the motor above described has been energized, the operator may make a series of motion pictures by depressing the lever 31.` 'In order to indicate how much of the energy stored up in the spring has been expended, 'the following mechanism is provided: gear 18 carries a pin 33 arranged to i strike a tooth 34 of the star wheel 35 at each revolution of the gear. When the ear is turned through the handle 26 for win ing the spring, the star wheel will turn. in one direction, and when the lever 31 is depressed,

.permitting the motor to drive the camera,

the star wheel turns in the Opposite direction. In each case it is moved one step at a time or a distance equal to that between the teeth 34 each time the gear 18 makes one revolution. The star wheel 35 is attached to a wheel 36 which is carried upon a shaft 37 having av bearing 38 in the camera wall 39, as shown in Fig. 7. This disc is provided with a dial 7 diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4 as being graduated from one to ten.

The star wheel 35, i-.n this instance, is provided with 12 teeth but its total movement is only a distance equivalent to 11 teeth so that there are actually 11 divisions on the scale, the last one b'eing marked wind, indicating that the motor energy has been fully expended. The operator may by glancing through the window 6 at any time, see what proportion of the spring energy has been used. F or instance in lig. 4y the numeral 9 indicates approximately ninetenths of its useful energy has been used.

lt is desirable to notify the operator some time before the energy of the motor has been used up, because it frequently happens that the operator may be looking in the iinder at the view which he is taking and will not notice the indicating marks of scale 7 Moreover, if the spring is permitted to become fully unwound, the camera may stop in the middle of a desirable' scene. My invention is particularly directed to provide a signal which appears in the finder so that the difficulties above describedmay be overcome.

As shown in Fig. 3, I provide a signal 40 y consisting, in this instance, of a skeleton W mounted on a rod 41 ixedly attached to the slide 42. This slidemoves in the supporting yokes 43, and is pivotally attached at 44 to a link 45 which is pivoted at 46 to the long arm of a bell crank lever 47. Lever. 47 is pivoted at 48 to a camera wall, and the short arm 49 carries a roller 50 grooved at 51. A spring 52 normally moves Ithe bell crank lever in the direction shown bythe arrow, in which roller will bear against the cam 53.

Cam 53 is preferably attached to the disc 36 by means of screws 54 which pass through arcuate slots 55 in the base 56, supporting the flange 57, the upper edge of which convstitutes the cam 53. By means of the screws and slots the angular relation of the cam to-.the disc may be altered so that the signal may be made to operate when the motor has moved to a predetermined degree. 'I find it useful tocause the signal to move after eight-tenths ofthe springs energy has been expanded as indicated in Fig. 4, althoughA this, of course, is largely a matter of personal preference.

vThe operation of the above described embodiment of my invention is as follows: with the parts in the position shown in Fig.

v1 for instance, the operator may energize the motor by turning handle 26 andwith it gears 19 and 18. At each revolutionvof gear 18, .pin 33 will strike a tooth 34 of the star wheel, and thus move it until the numeral 1on the scale 7 indicates that the motor is fully wound. After taking a series of scenes or pictures, the starv wheel 35 will be moved in a reversed direction so that the gradually increasing numbers on `the scale indicate the energy. remaining in the motor`. The operator may, for instance when the.. dial reads 7, take a relatively long scene, and while viewing the scene in the finder 8, the signal W may be thrust into its operative position, thus calling attention to the fact that the motor will soon require winding'. He may complete the picture with the signal vin place, because, as indicated in Fig. 6, the

lens 92 so that the, image will appear right side up. rThese lenses are mounted in suitable tubes 93, 94 and 95. rlube 94 is slotted at 96 to receive the signal 97 which is carried upon an arm 98 of a lever 99 pivoted at 6() to a support, and having an arm 61 carrying a pin 62 extending to one Side of the pivotal point. A third arm 63 is provided with a flange 64 which is apertured to receive the pin 65. This pin is carried by a post 66 which is free Vto turn in a bearing 67. A spring 68 encircles pin 65, and by pressing on the post and the flange 64; it tends to hold lever 99 in anY operative or in an inoperative position.

A'link 69 is slottedv at `70 to receive the pin 62, and is pivotally attached at 71 to an armI 72 which may turn upon a stud 73.

A pin 74 is mounted upon arm 72, and

passes through `slot 75 in the slide 76, whichv may move through the slot 77 in the casing 78 which surrounds the spring 79. End 8() i of the spring is attachedto slide 76 and the sion. When link 69 moves upwardly, pin.

62 will .engage the lower end of the slot, and arm 61 will be thrust u wardly causing the lever 99 to snap into ,t e position diagrammatically shown by the dot and dashed lines. This is the inoperative position, in which the signal 97 is moved out of tube 94. The tension on spring 83 is adjusted so that when the energy of -sprin 79 is nearly expended, the spring 83r w' draw down on lever 72 thus rocking this lever about pivot 73 and moving the slide 76 to the position shown in fullv lines. This movement will rock lever 99 through link 69 and cause it to snap into its operative posithe signal and themotor, said sig1 1alinclud- Ifinder, a motor of the t tion, in which the signal 97 will appear in the finder. While I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, itis obvious that a number of modifications in the structure may be made. I contemplate as within the scope of my invention all such modifications as may-"come within the terms ofthe appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and-desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' l. In a motion picture camera having a finder, a spring motor of the type in which energy may be stored for operating the camera, and a signal movablymounted relative tothe, finder operatively vconnected to and controlied by the motor adapted to give an indicationin the 'finder relative to the energy stored in the motor.

' l2. In a motion picture camera having a finder, ai spring motor foroperating the camera, a signal movably mounted relative to the finder adapted to indicate in the finder a condition of themotor connections between ing a member adapted to appear in and to occup a small areaof the vfield of the finder.

3.` n a motionpicture camera having a e in which energy may be stored for operating thev camera, and

a signal movably Amounted relative. to the l finder and operativelyconnected to the mo-4 tor and adapted tol ive an indication in the finder `relative tot e energy stored in the motor, said si all being adapted to slide across the field of. view' in the finder, occupying only a small portion of the eld thereof.

4.- In a motion picture camera, the comi bination with a motor in which energy :may` be stored, of a finder and a signal movable relative thereto, connections between the signal and motor throughwhich the motor may move the sio'nal for indicating in the finder when a predetermined portion of the energy .stored by the motor has been expended.'

5. -In a motion picture camera,- thecombination with aY motor drive therefor, 'of

means for storing energy inthe motor, a

finder 'for the camera, and a signalling de vice movably mounted' with respect to the finder and connected tothe motor, through which the signal may be controlled by the' motor for operating the signalling device whereby the signal may indicate in the finder that themotor should be re-energized.

6. In a motion picture camera the combination with a motor in which energy may bestored, a finder, anda signal adapted to l be operated by the motor sofas to be visible simultaneously with the View in the i'inder,

means for storing energy in the motor and `connections whereby the motor may drive the camera, the signal being movable from its visible position when the energy storing the camera.

means is actuated, and being v'movable to its visible pos1t1on when the motor is-operating 7. In a motion picture camera, the com- -bination'with' a motor adapted to drivethe y -motlon picture camera, and having a shaft `adapted to rotate in one direction when the camera is being driven, and said motor shaft being adaptedto be turned in the opposite direction for storing upl energy in the motor, a finder, and a signal associated therewith ladapted to be simultaneously viewed with .the view in the finder, connections betweenl the motor and the signal whereby a portion of the movement of the motor shaft in one direction will move the signal to an opera tiveposition in which it may be viewed with the viewin the finder, and wherebyI a portion of the movement of the motor shaft 1n a reverse direction may move the signal into an inoperative position in which it can not be viewed with the image in the nder.

f 8. In a motion picture camera,'the combination with a motor adapted to drive the vnal associated therewith, connections between thesignal'and the movablev member whereby thel signal will be moved to andv from a signalling position in the finder byA the movable member. 1

9., In a motion picture camera, thecombination with a motor 'adapted to'have energy stored therein, of a signal adaptedA to indicate the proportion of the total energy used atv all times," a second signal connected to the .first signal and adapted' to show only when the first signal has reached a predetermined position, and connections between .a signal andthe motor whereby thesignals are controlled by the motor.

lill@ lill) 10. In a motion picture camera, the cornbination With amotor adapted to have energy stored therein, of a signal including a dialto indicate the condition of the motor, means including the motor for controlling the dial, and a secondsignalling device interconnected with the dial operating nism to signal when the dial nas reached a predetermined position.'

11. Ina motion'picture camera, the ycombination with a motor adapted to have energy stored therein, of meansv visible from liao the exterior of the camera for indicating the energy stored in the motor, said means including ,two members, one indicating the energy stored in the motor at all times, and the other signalling when the rst dial'has been moved to a predetermined position, means controlled by the motor for actuating the' bination with a motor, adapted to have energy stored therein, of a finder carried by the camera, means for determining the energy stored in the motor controlled by the motor, said means having two interconnected indicating members, one member being visible at all times from the camera exterior and indicating the energy in the motor, and the other member being visible in the camera finder when the first member has been moved to a predetermined indicating position.

13. In a motion picture camera, the coinbination with a motor in which energy may be stored, a finder having a viewing open-' ing of relatively large area, a. signal adapted to move in the viewing opening of the finder and being of such a size that it will obstruct only a very small part of the relatively large area of the finder, operative connections between the motor and the signal, said signal being adapted to be moved through the 'connections by the motor to and from a signalling position in the finder in which it may indicate that the motor should be reenergized. i

Signed at Rochester, New York, this 28th day of April, 1925.

.RAY L. STNGHFIELD. 

